South Georgia Medical Center and its Lanier and Berrien campuses are joining forces with South Health District and the American Cancer Society to encourage people to quit smoking, dipping, or chewing tobacco products during the annual Great American Smokeout.

The Georgia Chapter of the March of Dimes honored 16 outstanding Georgia nurses at the 2014 Nurse of the Year Awards. Thomas Calabro, Director of Critical Care Nursing at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta was one of them, receiving top honors in the Critical Care category.

In 2012, South Georgia Medical Center and the SGMC Smith Northview Campus generated more than $701 million in revenue for the local and state economy according to a recent report by the Georgia Hospital

SGMC Berrien Campus has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in hospitals.

The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, GA has endorsed a system-wide refresh to the SGMC brand to improve brand identity in the communities served by South Georgia Medical Center, its campuses and affiliates.

If you haven’t heard of Sepsis, you aren’t alone. A recent national survey found that less than half of Americans have ever heard of Sepsis, even though it kills more than 258,000 Americans annually, more than breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer combined. South Georgia Medical Center, through its “Know Sepsis” campaign, seeks to change that by educating the community on signs and symptoms and implementing protocols to raise the standard of care for Sepsis patients.

South Georgia Medical Center has received the 2014 Women’s Choice Award for being voted one of America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Experience by women. This award identifies the country’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction and what women say they want from a hospital including quality physician communications, responsiveness of nurses and support staff, cleanliness and trusted referrals from other women.

Stephen “Mo” Mosher, Assistant Administrator for Engineering and Facilities at South Georgia Medical Center, recently received the Excellence in Engineering and Innovation Award from the Georgia Society for Hospital Engineers.

Valdosta, GA - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded investigators at Yale University to conduct the “Comprehensive Evaluation of Risk Factors in Older Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction”

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Cogent HMG, a national leader in hospitalist and intensivist services for hospitals and post-acute care facilities, today announced the launch of the company’s latest full-service hospitalist program at South Georgia Medical Center

Neil Ginty, Administrator of Lanier Health Services, recently became one of only 28 Certified Executive Directors for Assisted Living Communities in Georgia. Ginty also serves as the Administrator for South Georgia Medical Center’s Berrien campus

The South Georgia Medical Center Volunteer Auxiliary recently awarded patches and pins for hours of service for September 2012 – February 2013 at an annual luncheon themed Birds of a Feather Flock Together.

The Cancer Survivorship Kit produced by the Pearlman Cancer Center was recognized by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as a best practice model for community cancer center survivorship programs across the nation.

The transfer of ownership of Berrien County Hospital is subject to the giving of a number of notices mandated by federal regulations. Circumstances have prevented timely compliance with one of the notice provisions required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before that federal agency will approve the transfer.

Smiles and applause filled the air as those typically working behind the scenes of a business were standing tall before 300 Chamber members and guests at the annual World Class Employee Recognition breakfast on Tuesday. Twenty-four area employees and supervisors

South Georgia Medical Center’s Diabetes Management Center and the Valdosta State University College of Nursing cosponsored a program entitled Glycemic Management of the Inpatient Population on November 7th at Valdosta State University.

Kohl's Department Store, through the Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, has given over $164,000 to the SGMC Foundation in the past six years to promote children’s health and wellness in our community.

The Board of Trustees of the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, d/b/a South Georgia Medical Center and Smith Northview Hospital, and the co-owners of Berrien County Hospital, Mr. Chuck E. Jabaley and Mr. Frederick Lester, jointly announce that the Hospital Authority is purchasing Berrien County Hospital.

A breakfast was held recently at South Georgia Medical Center to celebrate the partnership between SGMC and Kohl’s Department Store and to announce their 2012-2013 initiative entitled Connecting Kids to Safety.

South Georgia Medical Center announces three internal promotions. Johnny Ball has been named the new assistant administrator of human resources; Bob Foster has been promoted to the executive level as the chief information officer

Construction progress on the patient tower at South Georgia Medical Center necessitates relocation of the Outpatient Center entrance on Monday, Sept. 17 until the new patient tower construction is complete in fall, 2013.

Christopher Young, MD, staff neonatologist at The Birthplace at South Georgia Medical Center, recently achieved subspecialty certification in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine from the American Board of Pediatrics.

Fifteen members of the South Georgia Medical Center Medical Staff recently completed medical staff leadership training conducted by The Institute for Medical Leadership, a consulting firm located in Pacific Palisades, CA.

The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, D/B/A South Georgia Medical Center announces that it has entered into a management agreement and letter of intent to sell Greenleaf Center to ACADIA Healthcare of Franklin, Tennessee.

South Georgia Medical Center is planning a series of changes affecting its Youth Care and Phone Triage services. On Monday, April 30, Youth Care, SGMC’s after-hours pediatric clinic, will move from its current location

Kohl's Department Store, through the Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, has given over $164,000 to the SGMC Foundation in the past 6 years to promote children’s health and wellness in our community.

South Georgia Medical Center proudly announces that its affiliate hospital, Louis Smith Memorial Hospital in Lakeland, GA, has become the first Critical Access Hospital* in the state to be named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) prestigious Circle of Excellence.

South Georgia Medical Center hosted a community groundbreaking celebration for the new Dasher Heart Center and 5-Story Patient Tower on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the first open heart surgery and percutaneous intervention (angioplasty) at the Dasher Heart Center at SGMC.

Licensed professional counselor and acting clinical director for Inpatient Services Kelly Williams is the new Outpatient program director at Greenleaf Center. Williams will continue to maintain her role as acting clinical director for Inpatient Services in addition to her promotion.

Greenleaf Center is proud to announce that Sheila Sheppard is the new Director of Nursing. Sheppard comes to Greenleaf after providing leadership to the nursing staff of Emerald Coast, a 90-bed behavioral health hospital located in Panama City, Florida.

South Georgia Medical Center is proud to announce the re-certification of its cardiac rehabilitation program by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) for another 3-year period. The re-certification recognizes SGMC for its commitment to improving the quality of life by enhancing standards of care.

The sale of Smith Northview Hospital to South Georgia Medical Center was completed on Thursday, September 1st. Smith Northview Hospital’s name will not change. It will operate as Smith Northview Hospital, a campus of SGMC. The acquisition of the 45-bed facility makes SGMC the 17th largest hospital in Georgia.

South Georgia Medical Center and the Valdosta State University College of Nursing are pleased to recognize seven SGMC Master’s prepared nurses and 10 members of the VSU College of Nursing faculty with new clinical nurse leader (CNL) credentials.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the US suffers a stroke—a brain attack. To help address these alarming statistics, South Georgia Medical Center has developed a new stroke program within the SGMC Emergency Department.

On August 1, longtime South Georgia Medical Center Chief Executive Officer James McGahee will retire and former Chief Operating Officer and Administrator Randy Sauls will become the hospital’s new CEO.

South Georgia Medical Center, in cooperation with the Valdosta YMCA, will begin offering Phase III Cardiac Rehab at the YMCA on Gornto Road from 8 am to 12 noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning July 22.

Six Emergency Department nurses at South Georgia Medical Center have successfully completed the examination for national certification in emergency nursing, administered by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).

The Board of Trustees of Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, d/b/a South Georgia Medical Center and the Board of Directors of Smith Northview Hospital jointly announce that SGMC is acquiring Smith Northview Hospital

South Georgia Medical Center is pleased to introduce the da Vinci® Si™ Surgical System to our operating room and to our community. The arrival of the da Vinci Surgical System marks the beginning of a robotic-assisted surgery program at SGMC.

SGMC’s Dasher Heart Center announced that it will be offering the Revo MRI™ SureScan® pacing system, the first MR-Conditional pacing system designed, tested and FDA approved for use in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) environment.

Kohl’s and SGMC Donate Funding to Local Schools
Kickoff for SGMC Foundation’s Connecting Kids program

Kohl's Department Store, through the Kohl's Cares program, has given over $115,000 to the SGMC Foundation in the past four years to promote children’s health and wellness in our community. In collaboration with our great community partner, Kohl’s, we are here today to promote wellness, address the alarming increase in childhood obesity and emphasize good nutrition and physical fitness in our schools.

Since many of our schools, both public and private, have experienced cutbacks in funding, we are happy to present grants of $46,555 in total to benefit all elementary, middle, and private schools in Valdosta/Lowndes County. These grants will purchase physical education equipment and/or other tools to teach kids about healthy lifestyles.

“Kohl’s has been a great supporter of children’s hospitals and children’s health across the country. We are very fortunate to have such a great partner here in Valdosta,” said Elizabeth Vickers, South Georgia Medical Center’s Foundation Director. “Through our newly developed program Connecting Kids we will be able to address children’s health and wellness issues on a variety of levels.”

Approximately 13 million U.S. children and adolescents are obese, with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile. Obesity is a major risk factor for many serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers. According to the 2009 Georgia Data Summary, 28,000 (24%) third grade children are obese and 56,000 (15%) middle school students are obese. Health officials are encouraging more physical activity and better nutrition as ways to combat childhood obesity.

Kohl's commitment to Connecting Kids is made possible through the Kohl's Cares? cause merchandise program. Through this initiative, Kohl’s sells $5 books and plush toys where 100 percent of net profit benefits children’s health and education programs nationwide, including hospital partnerships like this one. Kohl's has raised more than $150 million dollars through this merchandise program. In addition, Kohl's Cares features a scholarship program, which recognizes more than 2,100 young volunteers with a total of $410,000 in scholarships and prizes this year; the Associates in Action program, which encourages associate volunteerism and provided more than $10 million in grants to youth-focused nonprofit organizations last year alone; and fundraising gift cards for schools and youth-serving organizations. For more information, visit www.kohlscorporation.com.

Current items for sale at Kohl's Department Store which proceeds go to
Kohl's Cares for Kids Campaign.